HILLSBORO Star-Journal

A ribbon-cutting, dedication ceremony, and a packed-to-overflowing house for a Handel’s “Messiah” performance like none that have come before heralded the opening of the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts at Tabor College this weekend, but staff and students are equally excited about what comes next.
When the new arts center at Tabor College becomes fully functional next semester, students will have a place where they can meet as one to worship and be inspired in their spiritual lives.

Ryan Olson was ready to hop in his car and head home Sunday evening when he came out of Zion Lutheran Church.
However, his dark blue 1989 Buick Regal, parked unlocked behind the church with the keys in it, was nowhere to be found.

A Monday discussion of conditions at the county park and lake erupted into shouts just two weeks after consultants from Wichita State University told county commissioners they needed to work on getting along better.
Kathy Schockley and Mark Wheeler, both residents at the lake, talked about the need for a professional management plan to end blue green algae problems.

“It will have to be digital.”
That’s what Tabor director of music Bradley Vogel told Burton Tidwell when he asked him to design an organ for the new Shari Flaming Center for the Arts.

Mercedes Love, 24, and her 4-year-old son, Christian, were asleep in the same bed early Thursday morning when something, she doesn’t know what, woke them.
They looked out the window and saw fireballs hitting the ground. She went into the living room and saw that the whole front of the house was on fire.

Deadlines for three Hoch Publications holiday contests are drawing near.
The deadline for a children’s coloring contest has been extended to Monday. Children 3 to 10 can win a three-foot stocking filled full of goodies by coloring a picture printed in the Nov. 22 edition.

Change could be coming to the Hillsboro school food programs in the form of more menu choices and outside management if the school board follows through on a presentation at Monday’s meeting.
District food service coordinator Teresa Bernhardt announced her resignation in November.

A county resident sent a bouquet of flowers to commissioner Dianne Novak after the pair disagreed on road gravel a week ago.
Soon after Monday’s meeting began, a bouquet was delivered to the county clerk’s office during an executive session. The flowers were brought to Novak when open session began again.

While initial shipments of lumber were still days away, Morgan Wheeler was more than ready Sunday to welcome customers eager to see the inside of The Building Center, his new home improvement and construction supply business at 143 W. Main St. in Marion.
“It took a little longer than we thought it would,” Wheeler said. “We’re real excited. We’ve had quite a few people stop in to check out what’s going on.”

Mary Jeffrey’s Christmas Village will be on display from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Valley United Methodist Church in Marion.
The display has been a tradition for several years running at the church, and this will be its final year on display.

Visit any Swedish restaurant and you are likely to find potato sausage on the menu. And for folks who live in a Swedish community like the one at Burdick, the ethnic tradition is often on their dinner tables.
Dan Hageberg, head meat processor at Burdick Meat Market, said potato sausage is especially popular during the holidays. He combines ground beef and pork with onions, potatoes, and salt and pepper, then stuffs the mixture into casings.

Services for former carpenter Ernest Cecil Seibel, 98, who died Friday at Whitewater, will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Peabody Christian Church. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Interment will be at Prairie Lawn Cemetery in Peabody.
Born April 13, 1919, to John and Nellie (Hintz) Seibel in Peabody, he married Maxine Atkins on Nov. 19, 1950, in Peabody. She preceded him in death.

A celebration in memory of Connie J. (Powell) Wells, 81, formerly of Marion, who died Nov. 28 at The Cedars in McPherson, will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 23 at The Cedars House, 803 N. Maxwell St., McPherson.
She is survived by sons Robert Powell of Plant City, Florida, and Matthew Powell; daughter, Hollie Fox of Omaha, Nebraska; daughter Tracy Forsberg of McPherson; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

Private family services for Geneva Wiselogel, 89, who died Saturday at The Cedars in McPherson, will be held at a later date in Parma, Michigan.
She was born July 18, 1928, to Earl and Lillian (Meisner) Kellogg in Marshall, Michigan. She married Archie Wiselogel on Sept. 7, 1946, in Parma, Michigan. He preceded her in death.

The community celebrated with Tabor College this weekend as the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts was officially dedicated and played host to its first performances, including a magnificent rendition of Handel’s “Messiah” that played to an overflow crowd Sunday.
The truest celebration, however, is yet to come. It will play out daily as faculty and students immerse themselves in a venue that encourages them to strive for the finest in visual and performing arts.

After nearly three years without a road trooper assigned to Marion County, Trooper Kenneth “Dean” Baldwin will soon be a familiar sight on the highways.
Baldwin graduated from the Kansas Highway Patrol Training Academy Dec. 7 and will spend his first 77 working days doing field training under two field training officers.

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Christmases come and Christmases go, old traditions transition into new traditions, but no matter how old you get, certain memories of Christmas linger.
You can’t call Marion Ogden’s memory of his childhood Christmases “good” exactly, but it’s good for a Christmas story laugh.

The Hillsboro High School wrestling team made a long trek northwest Friday to compete at the Railer Round Robin Tournament at Ellis.
With a handful of competitors in action, a pair of third-place finishes from Jordan Bachman and Andre Patton paced the Trojans.

Christmas will come a week early for area wrestling fans Friday at the Marion County Winter Duals, hosted by both Marion and Hillsboro High Schools.
Outside the Trojans and Warriors, 14 other teams from the central part of the state will be in action at both high school gymnasiums.

Four games into the young season, Lady Trojans coach Nathan Hiebert won’t be talking about how quick his team is out of the gate to start games.
What he can talk about is how to bounce back from being soundly defeated in the season opener in two days to reel off three consecutive wins in the grueling Moundridge Preseason Tournament.

The Goessel girls basketball team tuned up for the start of league play by stringing together three easy wins at home to win the Bluebird Classic.
The Bluebirds were coming off an opening-round 55-31 trouncing of Canton-Galva as they took the court Friday against Burrton.

Members of the public will be welcome to speak at the start of the Harvey-Marion County Community Development Disability Organization’s monthly meeting at 4 p.m. Monday at 500 N. Main St., Newton.

Directors of Technology Excellence in Education, a partnership of area school districts overseeing distance education, will meet by telephone conference at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 30.
Under state law, all such meetings are open to the public, and provision must be made for the public to listen to deliberations.